Leadership Camp Narrative

Being a Grade 8 Retreat leader was an amazing opportunity that I will continue to look back on with fondness throughout my life. The Retreat is an annual event that our school holds to help the Grade 8 students build friendships. I remembered my own grade 8 retreat as an influential part of my high school experience, so when I became old enough to become a leader, I jumped at the opportunity. Creating team posters and name tags were some of the more routine tasks that had to be completed before the retreat. However, the more rewarding aspect of the retreat was being able to bond with the children. Simply making conversation with the kids was extremely engaging. On the last night of the retreat, one of the boys in my cabin announced that I had

In 2013 the number of student veterans doubled, and has since been growing at a rate of 20% per year. The flood of veterans seeking higher education has left many schools playing catch up in order to understand their growing demographic. In 2009, Penn State published a video on their website entitled “The Worrisome Veteran”. The short video was meant as a training guide to show teachers how to manage student veterans. The video depicts student veterans as intimidating, dangerous, entitled and unintelligent. Penn State has since apologized for the video, but it mirrors how out of touch many schools are in regards to student veterans. In Whistling Vivaldi, Claude Steele explains how stereotype threat can negatively affect confidence and thus,

There are several reasons why I want to be an Area 15 FFA officer. The principal reason that I want to be an officer is for the learning experience that it will provide. Along with learning various new objectives, being an area officer will help me develop and better some of the leadership skills that I already have. Not only would being an area officer provide personal benefit, I could use the skills and knowledge that I gain to help benefit my chapter.

During my time in scouting, I’ve been the Senior Scout for countless events. I have been the Senior Patrol leader for camp outs, mass events, classes, and more. I am also currently the Commanding Officer in my MCJROTC program. I teach classes, lead drill teams, lead physical training, create and coordinate events, and more. While both of these were very challenging, becoming an officer in the Marine Corps would be the culmination of them. The experience as an Officer in The Corps will be like nothing I’ve ever done. The Marine Corps will fulfill my unquenchable desire to take on this challenge. Marine Corps officers are leaders of leaders.

My time in 4-H, working, volunteering, and my first semester of college have provided me with leadership opportunities and experiences that were often challenging. In order to cope with these challenges, I had to develop skills that would allow me to move forward.

Being an Eagle Scout is important to me because I have learned leadership and many skills through my journey that will benefit me the rest of my life. By becoming an Eagle Scout, it shows a level of commitment that many are unable to achieve. For example, I completed all the required Eagle merit badges as well as all of the alternate required Eagle merit badges including Cycling, Hiking, Swimming, Lifeguarding, and Emergency Preparedness. Becoming an Eagle Scout, I have become a more knowledgeable person through the wide variety of merit badges completed and skills learned. Without the experience of achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, I would never have learned how to be a leader ranging from Patrol Leader to the Crew Leader of a Philmont Expedition. Learning how to be a leader has been the single most important skill becoming an Eagle Scout has taught me. It has allowed me to be a leader in many ways on my FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition team including Team Captain, Engineering Lead, and Robot Driver. Although Robot Driver may not seem like a leadership position, it actually

The National Honors Society is an organization consisting of outstanding students across the nation, and I am truly honored to be considered to join. Not only does this organization push students to succeed academically, but it also allows them to build character by taking part in their communities through leadership roles and service. With this, I would take advantage of all the opportunities the society presented me to build my own character even further. In my years of high school, I have shown that I am qualified to join the society based on my performance in academics, character, leadership and service.

My hands became clammy and my heart started racing. I did not want to believe the words coming out of my mother’s lips, “His kidney failed three weeks after the operation, he is dead”. I was just 5 years old and I felt like there was no purpose to live. My father was everything to me. I already missed his genuine kindness, the way his smile formed whenever he talked to me about life, and the times where we had father-son time at the airport, watching airplanes fly. Standing there looking into my mother’s eyes filled with intent and worries, I was speechless. At this instant, I was able to budge a smile and move myself, despite being frozen from the news, to embrace my now widowed mother. Despite this tragic event, my dad had a dream, a vision that his two sons would achieve the American Dream filled with infinite opportunities that can be obtained with a higher education. To this day, I continually strive to live up to the American Dream my dad envisioned for me.

When it was time for me to begin taking on the role , I started off very unsure and low confident...However , the group respected the orders I gave and understood the power I had at that moment of time and did what I asked of them to do. As time went on , I developed this wave of power , the kind of power you develop when you achieve a goal. As the group listened and everything went smoothly , the nervosity soon lifted off my shoulders and that ridiculous fear of leadership soon melted away.

A second paid opportunity I have had serving children has been working as summer camp counselor for the past three summers. Each summer since May 2013, Warren W. Willis United Methodist Summer Camp has provided me with the opportunity to mentor a wide variety of children ranging in ages from rising fourth grade to newly graduated high school seniors. Here I have taken on many roles of mentor, advocate, listener, friend, small group leader, activities facilitator, etc. Here I have interacted with children and adolescents of all backgrounds and cultures. I have been greatly challenged and rewarded by the campers I have interacted with here. One of the greatest challenges I have faced while serving in this role is finding a healthy balance between focusing on the needs of other and focusing on myself. Throughout the summer, I am constantly focusing on the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical needs of campers. There is little time and

The best way to describe my leadership philosophy is with the word care. I have been told many times in my career that I care too much. The idea that caring about the unit, the mission, or your Soldiers could be a bad thing is absurd. The idea that I cared too much would become apparent while assigned to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. In this unit the things I believe are most important as a leader become apparent.

Determination. I had to put this word first in this essay because its the only word that has a big meaning to me and has my whole life. Being determined has done a lot for me in the long run. It had kept my motivations up and going, also has led my life to where it is now. Determination wasn't just planted into my mindset one day. No, obstacles in my life that had the opportunity to make me or break me had helped me get a good grip on the motive. I knew that I wanted better and needed more in my life. I can say that I do have determination for a better future and a better me, dedication for both is what is leading me to pursue a college career.

Leadership, a controversial concept, has been studied for centuries. Scholars who study leadership have argued with the insight of leadership for many decades and finally promote a wide range of understandings of it.

This creed given to the Young Officer Course of 2014 has all the answers to becoming a leader who truly leads by example

Not committing to the task could potentially suggest that they were incompetent or lack the capacity as a military personnel so facing ‘dangers’ was a much preferred option. Additionally, discipline in the military can be seen when an officer makes his salutes appropriately, their conduct, to the state of their uniform and even how they present themselves in public. While discipline in military is rewarded as it is a sign of respect and duty, misconduct on the other hand is punishable. When discipline is lacking in an army personnel, it not only affects their own performance but also the team as a whole. It is therefore important to instil discipline early and effectively.